Study Desk

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali." These are the men God commanded to hand out the assignments of land-inheritance to the People of Israel in the country of Canaan.

Land Inheritance God spoke to Moses: "Command the People of Israel. Tell them, When you enter Canaan, these are the borders of the land you are getting as an inheritance: "Your southern border will take in some of the Wilderness of Zin where it touches Edom. It starts in the east at the Dead Sea, curves south of Scorpion Pass and on to Zin, continues south of Kadesh Barnea, then to Hazar Addar and on to Azmon, where it takes a turn to the northwest to the Brook of Egypt and on to the Mediterranean Sea. "Your western border will be the Mediterranean Sea. "Your northern border runs on a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor, and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath, connects to Zedad, continues to Ziphron, and ends at Hazar Enan. This is your northern border. "Your eastern border runs on a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The border goes south from Shepham to Riblah to the east of Ain, and continues along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. The border then follows the Jordan River and ends at the Dead Sea. "This is your land with its four borders." Moses then commanded the People of Israel: "This is the land: Divide up the inheritance by lot. God has ordered it to be given to the nine and a half tribes. The tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh have already received their inheritance; the two tribes and the half-tribe got their inheritance east of Jordan-Jericho, facing the sunrise." God spoke to Moses: "These are the men who will be in charge of distributing the inheritance of the land: Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun. Assign one leader from each tribe to help them in distributing the land. Assign these: Caleb son of Jephunneh from the tribe of Judah; Shemuel son of Ammihud from the tribe of Simeon; Elidad son of Kislon from the tribe of Benjamin; Bukki son of Jogli, leader from the tribe of Dan; Hanniel son of Ephod, leader from the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph; Kemuel son of Shiphtan, leader from the tribe of Ephraim son of Joseph; Elizaphan son of Parnach, leader from the tribe of Zebulun; Paltiel son of Azzan, leader from the tribe of Issachar; Ahihud son of Shelomi, leader from the tribe of Asher; Pedahel son of Ammihud, leader from the tribe of Naphtali."

Then God spoke to Moses on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho: "Command the People of Israel to give the Levites as their part of the total inheritance towns to live in. Make sure there is plenty of pasture around the towns. Then they will be well taken care of with towns to live in and pastures for their cattle, flocks, and other livestock.

These are the commands and regulations that God commanded through the authority of Moses to the People of Israel on the Plains of Moab at Jordan-Jericho.

That same day God spoke to Moses: "Climb the Abarim Mountains to Mount Nebo in the land of Moab, overlooking Jericho, and view the land of Canaan that I'm giving the People of Israel to have and hold. Die on the mountain that you climb and join your people in the ground, just as your brother Aaron died on Mount Hor and joined his people.

Moses climbed from the Plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, the peak of Pisgah facing Jericho. God showed him all the land from Gilead to Dan, all Naphtali, Ephraim, and Manasseh; all Judah reaching to the Mediterranean Sea; the Negev and the plains which encircle Jericho, City of Palms, as far south as Zoar.

Joshua son of Nun secretly sent out from Shittim two men as spies: "Go. Look over the land. Check out Jericho." They left and arrived at the house of a harlot named Rahab and stayed there.

The king of Jericho was told, "We've just learned that men arrived tonight to spy out the land. They're from the People of Israel."

The king of Jericho sent word to Rahab: "Bring out the men who came to you to stay the night in your house. They're spies; they've come to spy out the whole country."

And that's what happened. The people left their tents to cross the Jordan, led by the priests carrying the Chest of the Covenant. When the priests got to the Jordan and their feet touched the water at the edge (the Jordan overflows its banks throughout the harvest), the flow of water stopped. It piled up in a heap—a long way off—at Adam, which is near Zarethan. The river went dry all the way down to the Arabah Sea (the Salt Sea). And the people crossed, facing Jericho.

The Reubenites, Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had crossed over in battle formation in front of the People of Israel, obedient to Moses' instructions. All told, about forty thousand armed soldiers crossed over before God to the plains of Jericho, ready for battle.

The people came up out of the Jordan on the tenth day of the first month. They set up camp at The Gilgal (The Circle) to the east of Jericho. Joshua erected a monument at The Gilgal, using the twelve stones that they had taken from the Jordan. And then he told the People of Israel, "In the days to come, when your children ask their fathers, ‘What are these stones doing here?' tell your children this: ‘Israel crossed over this Jordan on dry ground.'

The People of Israel continued to camp at The Gilgal. They celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the month on the plains of Jericho.

And then this, while Joshua was there near Jericho: He looked up and saw right in front of him a man standing, holding his drawn sword. Joshua stepped up to him and said, "Whose side are you on—ours or our enemies'?"

Jericho was shut up tight as a drum because of the People of Israel: no one going in, no one coming out.

God spoke to Joshua, "Look sharp now. I've already given Jericho to you, along with its king and its crack troops. Here's what you are to do: March around the city, all your soldiers. Circle the city once. Repeat this for six days. Have seven priests carry seven ram's horn trumpets in front of the Chest. On the seventh day march around the city seven times, the priests blowing away on the trumpets. And then, a long blast on the ram's horn—when you hear that, all the people are to shout at the top of their lungs. The city wall will collapse at once. All the people are to enter, every man straight on in."

But Joshua let Rahab the harlot live—Rahab and her father's household and everyone connected to her. She is still alive and well in Israel because she hid the agents whom Joshua sent to spy out Jericho.

Joshua swore a solemn oath at that time: Cursed before God is the man who sets out to rebuild this city Jericho. He'll pay for the foundation with his firstborn son, he'll pay for the gates with his youngest son.

Joshua sent men from Jericho to Ai (The Ruin), which is near Beth Aven just east of Bethel. He instructed them, "Go up and spy out the land." The men went up and spied out Ai.